14 CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN 



continued for five miles when we were again in sandhills with 

 spinifex, two little hills with pines on them being right on our 

 course. Camped at 5 p.m. in oak sandhills and spinifex, there was 

 not anything for the camels to eat, so at 7 p.m. they were tied up 

 for the night. Travelled twenty miles. A few kurrajong and 

 ironwood trees met with, no animals or birds seen. Bar. 27 - 675in., 

 ther. 34° at 3 p.m. 



Saturday, April 20th.— Camp No. 16. Bar. 27-68(>in., ther. 41° 

 at sunrise. — Latitude 23° 43' 43". The camels were let loose a 

 little before dawn, and they made such use of their time in travelling 

 that they have made it a lesson for me to keep a closer watch on 

 them in the future. Started at 9, continued on yesterday's bearing 

 for five miles when we reached the little hill seen yesterday. I 

 found it to be an isolated knoll of sandstone about 300ft. above 

 the level of the surrounding country, and hemmed in upon all sides 

 by spinifex sand hills ; not a blade of grass anywhere. I left the 

 camels to make their way round its eastern base while Billy and 

 I made the ascent ; its irregular surface is covered with dwarf 

 pines, and among the interstices of the rocks numerous rock 

 wallabies were seen. The view to the west and south-west was 

 one apparently of spinifex sandhills ; to the N. and N.W. the 

 southern slopes of MacDonnell Range extended for many miles. 

 The country seemed so dry that I deemed it advisable to give the 

 camels a drink before starting for Glen Edith, and with that view I 

 turned N. 5° E. towards the main range where I did not anticioate 

 any difficulty in obtaining a sufficiency for one night. For five 

 miles we continued upon this bearing when we crossed a gum 

 creek which had a westerly course ; two miles from here it became 

 so stony that I «ent Billy on ahead to look at the gorge that I had 

 been steering for, not thinking favorably of it from this spot. I 

 now turned S. 45° E. to get away from the stony slopes of the 

 range into the vallej , through which I thought the gum creek 

 would flow ; this we reached in four miles much to the relief of 

 ourselves and the camels, for the stony ground and the very dense 

 mulga scrub of the last few miles were tedious and tiring to the last 

 degree, there was very good feed for the camels but no water. I 

 think this must be Carmichael's Creek of Giles, if so, the sandstone 

 hill seen this morning would be Mount Solitary. Just before dusk 

 Billy returned with the intelligence that a large rock hole in the 

 gorge that he visited had just gone dry. The trees met with to-day 

 were mulga, mallee, banksias, and various leguminosas and an 

 occasional kurrajong tree. Bar. 27"700in., ther. 88° at 3 p.m. 

 Camped at 5*30. 



Sunday, April 2\st. — Camp No. 17, Carmichael's Creek. Bar. 

 27*75din, ther. 51°. — A keen easterly wind blowing, but mild 

 during the night ; heard a few crows this morning, I trust it may 

 be a sign of water being near, for I do not like the idea of doing 

 any more easting. The camels were let go a little before dawn and 



